Building a tech-savvy in-house legal team

Assembling an in-house legal team from scratch is never an easy task – and doing so in tech brings its own raft of challenges. Lauren Zajac, Chief Legal Officer at ExtraHop, shares with us her top tips for getting it right.

Tech and legal – a unique combination

Lauren has succeeded in marrying her love of technology and law by building a legal career in the tech sector. As someone who has been part of, and shaped multiple in-house legal teams from scratch, she has refined her approach to building a legal function – and specifically, one which can meet the unique demands of the fast-paced tech world.

Lauren grew up immersed in technology. Her father, an engineer who went on to become a CEO for various tech companies, provided her with a unique insight into the latest gadgets from a young age – as well as a glimpse into what a career in tech could look like.

“At eight years old, I put my hand on my hip and said I was going to be a lawyer – and from then on, I never changed my opinion,” says Lauren. “Because of my Dad’s position, I was given a unique insight into the possibility of combining the dynamism of technological innovation with the fulfillment of a legal career.”

Coming out of law school clear on where she wanted to be, Lauren initially experienced a trial by fire as she approached tech company after tech company with her resume in the hopes of securing her first in-house position. Eventually landing her first in-house role in the tech sector, she worked directly alongside the company’s General Counsel, who actively supported her professional development. Having someone back her early on her career set the tone for Lauren’s own leadership style – and embedded within her the importance of community in building a legal career. Now, as a legal leader, she relishes the opportunity to pass this value on, mentoring and supporting the next generation of in-house lawyers whenever she can.

Finding her sweet spot in tech companies operating between US $200 million and $1 billion in revenue, Lauren has noticed a distinctive challenge faced by lawyers in this sector. They must do far more than just offer legal counsel; they must also grasp the intricacies of their organizations’ tech products from both a developer and sales perspective. Understanding the nuts and bolts of the technology at play is crucial in order to effectively communicate risks to the board.

“Legal are here to support the building and selling of a product. We need people who are willing to come in and roll up their sleeves – even if they’ve never been in tech before – and ask, how can I understand this product? How is it sold? What do I need to know to protect it and to contract around it?”

Building your team – top tips

Lauren’s own understanding of what is needed to thrive as an in-house lawyer in tech has actively shaped the way that she builds teams in this environment. “In a larger company, you have the luxury of hiring subject matter experts in litigation, intellectual property and contract negotiation,” she says. “You don’t have that luxury in this sort of space, but it’s where I live.”

Having tried and tested her approach, Lauren has refined some top tips for building an effective legal team in the tech sector:

1. Find the right people. Look for a certain type of person, rather than simply focusing on a desired skill set. For Lauren, this means finding people who are up to the challenge and pace of a tech environment, and who have a willingness to roll up their sleeves and do things that are not in their wheelhouse. It also means finding people who are keen to understand the product that they are working with, and who don’t take themselves too seriously.

1. Business people first. For Lauren, an exceptional in-house team is made of lawyers who are business people first – and never more so than in the tech world. This means ensuring that your legal function has the ability to provide legal advice through a business lens and guide organizational processes.

1. Promote inclusivity. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) must take center stage in the development of any healthy legal team. This is something that Lauren takes seriously beyond her professional role – she actively contributes to the Board of Massachusetts Special Olympics and lends her support to various non-profit organizations dedicated to empowering women in the tech industry. Instead of fixating on rigid diversity quotas, Lauren prioritizes cultivating a diverse candidate pool for each hiring opportunity by using gender neutral language and removing any microaggressions towards minority groups. As leaders, she reminds us, “we need to find the way that works with our belief system – and model that.”

1. Prioritize wellbeing. For Lauren, this is, above all, a matter of leading by example. As a mother, she makes sure that she emphasizes the importance of flexibility to her team by making it a practice to openly communicate her own work-life balance. She has no qualms telling her team, “I’m leaving now because I have X, Y, or Z to do for my kids” – and purposefully demonstrates that her team members have the same permission to prioritize their personal commitments. For Lauren, this is key to a productive and content legal function. “We’re all human beings and we, as leaders, need to model that it’s actively encouraged to have a life outside of work.”

Lauren’s strategy for building effective legal teams in the tech sector underscores the importance of taking a comprehensive approach, spanning from recruitment to ongoing support. It begins with an inclusive hiring process, maintaining an emphasis on qualities beyond those that are listed on a resume, and thrives by finding and nurturing individuals who are adaptable, collaborative, and possess a willingness to step outside their comfort zones.

Ultimately, Lauren’s own success in this area reminds us that a strong in-house function demands more than legal expertise; it takes strong soft skills, commercial awareness, and the ability to foster relationships and innovation with humility and humor to get off the ground Ultimately, becoming a true business partner hinges on embracing this holistic perspective.

This article was created from Episode 6 of InView’s Legal Leaders Podcast. To hear the full interview with Lauren, visit inview.lawvu.com/the-legal-leaders-podcast.